Evangelist Franklin Graham is heading to gay-friendly Key West. Some have a message for him
UPDATE: What happens when an evangelist visits gay-friendly Key West? Franklin Graham just found out
Evangelist Franklin Graham, the religious right giant who has condemned homosexuality as a sin, will bring his “Decision American Sunshine State Tour” Thursday night to liberal-leaning, LGBTQ-loving Key West.
Many in Key West aren’t giving Graham’s gospel a warm welcome and plan to protest outside the Coffee Butler Amphitheater, 21 E. Quay Rd., at the Truman Waterfront Park.
“Lots are outraged that he is coming with his followers to spew his vitriol,” Key West resident Larry Blackburn posted on Facebook, asking people to come with him to protest. “Let’s show them what our One Human Family mantra truly means.”
Blackburn also called Graham a “hate-filled man.”
Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, who died in 2018, says he welcomes any protesters to attend the event.
“I’m not coming down to talk against them,” Graham said Thursday, en route to Key West. “I wouldn’t do that.”
But Graham has condemned homosexuality as a sin.
“That’s what God calls it,” he said. “I don’t call it that. That’s what God’s word is. I’m not going to Key West to preach against anybody. I”m going to tell everyone how they can have a relationship with God through faith in his son, Jesus Christ.”
Graham’s free event, which includes live music by Jeremy Camp, starts at 7 p.m. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will broadcast it live.
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. People are asked to bring their own chairs and blankets.
“Listen, the Bible is very clear on what sin is,” Graham said. “Adultery is a sin. I’m sure a lot of people in Key West have committed adultery.”
Lying, stealing and having pride are also listed as sins in the book, he added.
Graham, who voted for President Donald Trump in 2016, said his tour’s name, “Decision America,” is not a nod to the upcoming election. Instead, he said the “decision” in the title is about making the decision to have a relationship with God.
Graham pointed out that he didn’t endorse anyone in the 2016 election and hasn’t decided who he will support this year.
In the 2016 presidential election, the only spot in Monroe County that chose Hillary Clinton over Trump was Key West.
Key West residents created a Facebook event asking people to arrive to the protest at 5 pm.
“Franklin Graham will be speaking at the Key West Amphitheater and preaching his well known hatred towards the LGBT community,” the event reads. “We will be gathering to let both Graham and his followers know that we do not accept that attitude and show them what Key West truly stands for.”
Graham’s tour continues Jan. 18 in Boca Raton at the Sunset Cove Amphitheater and Jan. 19 in Estero at the Hertz Arena, where President Trump had a rally in 2018. Both events start at 4 p.m.
Graham said he chose Key West as a stop on his tour partly because of its transient nature drawing people who are hiding from their past.
“It’s the end of the road,” Graham said of Key West. “I think there are runners down there, people who have made mistakes in life. Maybe they screwed up a marriage or they have money issues. They go to Key West to run. I want to speak to those people and let them know what God has done for them and how much he loves them.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 1:15 PM.
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